Broad-leaved Helleborine

Epipactis helleborine

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.
For more information please download the BSBI Code of Conduct PDF document.

Plant Data

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Order:

Asparagales

Family:

Orchidaceae (Orchid)

Also in this family:

Autumn Lady's Tresses, Bee Orchid, Birdsnest Orchid, Bog Orchid, Burnt Orchid, Common Fragrant Orchid, Common Spotted Orchid, Common Twayblade, Coralroot Orchid, Creeping Lady's Tresses, Dark Red Helleborine, Dense-flowered Orchid, Dune Helleborine, Early Marsh Orchid, Early Purple Orchid, Early Spider Orchid, Fen Orchid, Fly Orchid, Frog Orchid, Ghost Orchid, Greater Butterfly Orchid, Green-flowered Helleborine, Green-winged Orchid, Heart-flowered Tongue Orchid, Heath Fragrant Orchid, Heath Spotted Orchid, Hebridean Marsh Orchid Orchid, Irish Lady's Tresses, Irish Marsh Orchid, Lady Orchid, Lady's-slipper Orchid, Late Spider Orchid, Lesser Butterfly Orchid, Lesser Twayblade, Lindisfarne Helleborine, Lizard Orchid, Man Orchid, Marsh Fragrant Orchid, Marsh Helleborine, Military Orchid, Monkey Orchid, Musk Orchid, Narrow-leaved Helleborine, Narrow-leaved Marsh Orchid, Narrow-lipped Helleborine, Northern Marsh Orchid, Pyramidal Orchid, Red Helleborine, Small White Orchid, Small-flowered Tongue Orchid, Southern Marsh Orchid, Tongue Orchid, Violet Helleborine, Wasp Orchid, White Helleborine, Young's Helleborine

Type:

Flower

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Maximum Size:

80 centimetres tall

Habitats:

Roadsides, scrub, swamps, woodland.

Flower:

Pink, 5 petals

Broader than long green pointed sepals with a heart-shaped lip curving backwards, petals pink or purple, forming a long one-sided spike.

Fruit:

A nodding capsule filled with powder-like seeds.

Leaves:

Alternate, stalkless, untoothed leaves. The smaller upper leaves are ovate and tapering. Parallel veins.

Other Names:

Bastard Hellebore, Broadleaf Helleborine, Common Helleborine, Eastern Helleborine, Weed Orchid.

Frequency (UK):

Common

Similar Species:

Green-flowered Helleborine

Narrow-lipped Helleborine

Violet Helleborine

Young's Helleborine

Video

Broad-leaved Helleborine filmed in Capernwray, Lancashire and Chorley, Lancashire in July 2022.

Music credits
Firmament by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100480
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Distribution Map

Reproduced by kind permission of the BSBI.

Click to open an Interactive Map